Navy freshman slotback Will McKamey reportedly in coma after collapsing at practice

(U.S. Naval Academy Photo )

March 23, 2014|By Don Markus, The Baltimore Sun

A Navy football player reportedly is in a coma after undergoing surgery to relieve a brain clot at Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore on Saturday. Will McKamey, a rising freshman slotback, collapsed during practice earlier in the day in Annapolis and was airlifted off the practice field at the academy.

Randy McKamey, Will's father and high school football coach, tweeted that his son collapsed after taking a hit in practice. As of Sunday morning, McKamey was still listed in critical condition at the hospital.

Kara McKamey, Will's mother, wrote on Facebook that her 19-year-old son was unconscious and showing "very little response" hours after undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. WBIR, a Knoxville, Tenn., TV station, reported Saturday night that McKamey was in a coma.

Kara McKamey wrote on Facebook earlier in the day that her son collapsed at practice, an incident "very similar to the last time." As a senior at Grace Christian Academy, in 2012, McKamey collapsed during a two-point conversion in a game.

McKamey was transported to a hospital in Chattanooga and spent a few days in intensive care while doctors monitored bleeding and swelling in the brain. He did not undergo surgery, but his high school career ended.

He won the state’s Class A Mr. Football Back award that season after scoring 28 touchdowns and rushing for more than 2,000 yards.

In a statement released Saturday night, a Navy spokesman confirmed that McKamey had collapsed at practice.

"The entire Naval Academy family is shaken by the turn of events and we are providing all the support we can to Will and his family," the statement said.

McKamey played in only junior varsity games at Navy last season.

Kara McKamey wrote in one Facebook post that her son was "currently stable but unconscious," and said she and her husband were traveling to Baltimore to be with their son.

On Saturday night, Randy McKamey tweeted: "I have no words to express my gratitude for the prayers. Wills situation is still not good. Please pray harder than ever before for healing."